


This Doesn't Change Anything

by foolofatook001



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Drabble, Injury, bit o' blood but not much, like it's real short dude, not exactly Zutara
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-15
Updated: 2020-01-15
Packaged: 2021-02-27 07:41:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 390
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22263532
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/foolofatook001/pseuds/foolofatook001
Summary: In which we see one of the iconic moments from "The Southern Raiders" - slightly re-imagined. Drabble.
Kudos: 26





	This Doesn't Change Anything

She heard the rumbling of rocks and a shout - “Watch out!” She was tackled from the side and she landed heavily, bruising her shoulder, someone on top of her. Arms tightened around her, and she heard a slight hiss of pain in her ear.

The sound of crashing rocks subsided, and the resulting dust tickled Katara’s nose. She turned her head to thank her rescuer -

Only to see that it was Zuko. Her expression froze. “What are you doing?” she demanded, furious.

“Keeping rocks from crushing you,” he said, like it was self-explanatory. She narrowed her eyes, thinking,  _ Yeah, right _ . 

“Okay, I’m not crushed, you can get off me now,” she snapped, and he let her up immediately. 

“I’ll take that as a thank you,” he muttered behind her, and she shot him a glare over her shoulder, only to pause. A thin trickle of blood was running down his face, opposite his scar, where a shard of rock had sliced his temple.

Her hands twitched. She couldn’t stand by when someone was injured - especially not when they were injured because of her. But her desire to help was warring with the fact that it was  _ Zuko _ . The enemy.

She’d been staring at him too long. “What?” he demanded, picking himself up.

“You’re bleeding,” she said, pulling out her water with a resigned sigh. Zuko’s hand flew to the side of his face and he winced. “Here,” she said, stepping back over to him and reaching out a hand covered in water. She refused to look him in the eye. 

He held perfectly still as she pressed the water to the side of his face, and she couldn’t help but flash back to the caves under Ba Sing Se, when she’d held a hand to the  _ other _ side of his face and offered to heal his scar…

But then he’d betrayed them.

The cut was nearly closed - it had been deeper than she thought - and she pressed her lips together tightly, anger returning as she thought over his crimes. “There,” she said, stepping away, still refusing to look at him. “You’ll be all right now.” Her mouth twisted in a grimace before she could stop it.

“Katara - ” Zuko started.

“This doesn’t change anything, firebender,” she said, giving him a cold glare. Then she spun on her heel and stalked away.


End file.
